Sewing-machine.



R. L. I YUNS.

SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. le, 1911.

1,272,065. Patented July 9, 1918.

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ROBERT I.. LYoNs, or WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, assiefNoB.4 To FRDEROK osANN COMPANY, or NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION or ,New YORK.

SEWING-MACHINE'.

Application led November 16, 1911.

To all whomz't may concern.'

Be it known that I, ROBERTl L. LYoNs, of lNalthanr, in the county of Middlesex. and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing-Machines, of which the following is a specification", reference being had 'to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof.

This invention has reference to improvements in sewing machines and resides particularly inthe mechanism for controlling the delivery of thread to the needle.

One object of the invention is to' so construct a sewing machine that the end of the thread extending through the needle may be drawn down through the work.

Another object of the invention is to so construct a sewing machine that the needle thread maybe clamped or restrained from delivery at one period in the operation of the machine, 'to cooperate with a thread straining device, and may be released at the accomplishment of another operation on the thread.

Anotherobject of the invention is to so construct a sewing machine adapted to sew groups-of stitches that at the completion of one of said groups of stitches the needle thread may be clamped or restrainedand broken, leaving an end ofthread extending through the needle, and' that the thread may be held from delivery movement until after the next'downward movement of the needle whereby the end of the thread extending through the needle may be drawn through the work.

The inventionA consists in means for preventingl the delivery of' the thread during the first downward movement of the needle.l

The invention also Consists in "manually operated means for engaging and holdingthe needle thread from delivery, at or about the completion of one group of stitches, means acting to strain said thread, when so held, to break thel same, and automatic means for releasing the thread holding means only after the first downward movement of the needle in making the next group of stitches.

The invention also consists in such other novel features of construction and combinaspeeication of Letters Patent.

Patented July a; reis.

Serial No. 660,593.

tion of parts as shall hereinafter be more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

Figure l, represents a side elevation of part of a button sewing machine illustrating my invention.

Fig'. 2,- represents a plan view of portions ofthe same. I

Fig. 3, represents an enlarged detail view of parts ofthe thread clamp Operating and holding device.

Fig. 4L, represents asectional view of the same taken on line L -fl- Fig. 3.

Fig. 5, represents a diagralmnatio view showing the manner in which thedevioe for holding the thread clamp in the locked position is released by the action of the' button clamp.

Fig. 6', represents, diagrammatically, `the positions ofthe cut end of the needle thread resulting from the Operation of the needle while the delivery of the thread is restrained or prevented.

Similar numbers of reference designate corresponding parts throughout.

In sewing machines and particularly in such machines adapted for the sewing on of buttons, or other articles or for forming groups of stitches for any purpose'it is desirable to separate the thread of one group of stitches from the main needle thread and to leave an end of thread extending through the needle, sufhciently long to start a new sewing operation without rethreading the needle. ln some classes of sewing it is very desirable that the left end of the thread, extending through the needle, should be dispensed with so that it will not appear on the outer portion of the group of stitches and require trimming ofi' by hand.

As shown in the drawings, in its preferred form, 5 indicates the bed of any well known sewing machine having the head 6 furnished with the usual needle bar 7 carrying the needle 8 and adapted to be Operated inany well known manner, not herein shown as it forms no necessary part of the present invention. ln the bed 5 is mounted the main shaft `9 carrying the looper 10` (indicated) and having the worm ll which drives the gear 12 of the usual workholder actuator cam 13 rotatably mounted on the stud 14:

. of member 26 whereby rod 30 may depending from the bed 5. The base 15 of the button clamp or work holder 16 is movably mounted on the bed 5 and is actuated by the cam 13 through the operation of the member 17, of said button clamp, by said cam.

As is usual in such structures the work holding portion of the button clamp 16 is pivotally connected with its base 15 and provision is made to lift the free end 16 of the button clamp 16 by providing this end 16 with the member 18 which is flexibly connected by the chain 19 with the arm 20 of the rock shaft 21 which latter is journaled in bearings carried by the head 6 and is rocked by means of its Xed lever arm 22 furnished with the rod and chain connections 23 extending to the usual treadle, not shown, or to any suitable actuating device adapted to be, preferably, manually actuated.-r Retraction of the arm 20 is assisted by the spring 24, connected with the pin of said arm to which chain 19 is attached, and with a fixed part of the head 6.

On said shaft 21 is secured the thread puller arm 25 and the member 26 having the cam 27, the annular groove 28 and the cylindrical riding edge 29 toward which the cam 27 inclines. Slidably and rotatably mounted in bearings of the bed 5 and its head 6 is the rod 30. This rod 30 has the projections or members 31 and 32 of which 31 is so positioned relative to the cam 27 that, when shaft 21 is given a partial ro-tation, said cam will act on projection 31 and will raise ithe same, and its rod 30, and at the same time guide said projection 31 on to the riding edge 29 of member 26, the rotation of rod 30 permitting said movement, thus effecting the support of projection 31 and its rod 30 while the shaft 21 may be reversely rotated and cam 27 thereby moved away from projection 31. When rod 30 is so raised and swung by the action of cam 27 the projection or finger 32 is swung to a position, indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5, where it, said finger 32, may be engaged by a movement of the work holder 16 to swing rod 30 back to a position where its projection 31 may be received by groove 28 move downward a distance equal to the depth of said groove 28.

Mounted on the head 6 are the usual thread tension devices 33, 33 and, preferably between said tensions and the guide for the needle bar 7 are located the post 34 and the stationary thread clamp member 35 which latter is preferably furnished with the guide wire 36 and is placed near the path in which the thread puller arm 25 is adapted to swing. The head 6 is also preferably furnished with the pin 37 having a thread guide which is adapted to prevent the undue movement of the main thread under the action of the thread puller 25. .Pivotally mounted on the post 34 is the movable spring retracted thread clamping member 38, coperating with the member 35, the outer end 39 of which is adapted to bear on the upper end of rod 30 whereby this end 39 may be raised by the upward movement of said rod to clamp or hold the thread a between the cooperating part of the members 38 and 35 in order to prevent the movement of said thread a toward the needle 8.

The operation of the new device is herein illustrated with reference to the sewing of a button to fabric but may be used to advantage in the sewing on of any article or in forming groups of stitches for any purose.

p When a group of stitches has been completed the thread a extends from the tensions 33, 33 or one of them, between the clamp members 35, 38, over the thread puller 25 and through guide of pin 37 and through the usual guides to and through the eye of the needle, down to and around the looper and then upward to the work and may or may not, be but preferably is knotted to prevent the loosening thereof.

When, now, the lever 22 is actuated to rotate shaft 21 and to lift the free end 16 of the work holder a sequence of operations occurs. First, the thread puller 25 is swung to pull additional thread a through the tensions 33, 33 or one of them. YSecond, the rotation of shaft 21 and, with it, the member 26 causes the cam 27 to engage the projection or pin 31 of rod 30 whereby said rod is raised and acts on the clamp member 38, 39 to eect the clamping of thread a between the members 38 and 35, and, approximately as such clamping is efected, the cam 27 acts on pin 31 to swing the same to the position shown in Fig. 3 in which the pin 31 is supported by the cylindrical edge 29 of member 26 whereby rod 30 is supported in a position to hold clamp member 38 closed against the'thread a. In such operation by cam 27 on pin 31 the rod 30 is given a partial rotation to swing its pin or proj ection 32 from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 5 to that indicated therein in dotted lines. rlhird, as the end 16 yof the work holder continues to move upward, the thread a being locked against feeding or delivery movement, the strain of the work on the thread ultimately becomes sufficient to cause the breaking of the thread close to the work.

The lever 22 is now released and sha-ft 21 is free to retractively rotate under the weight of the end 16 of the work holder, or for any other reason, but the clamp member 38 is still held in the closed position by reason of the support afforded by the edge 29 of member 26 to the pin 31 of rod 30. Therefore the thread L is still held from movement toward the needle, except as regards that portion of thread pulled or drawn forward by the thread puller and now released by the retractive movement of said puller.

Vhen the sewing of another group of stitches is begun the end a of thread a extends through the needle 8 as is shown in Fig. 1. rlhe needle 8 now moves downward through the button b and fabric 0, or through any work, carrying the thread downward approximately as shown at the right hand in Fig. 6, the looper 10 will engage the loop of thread in the usual manner,

and the needle will move upward leaving the end of the thread extending upward through the work; the button clamp will now be moved by the operation of cam 13 to bring another portion of the work into the path of the needle and, in such movement, the thread a will be drawn laterally by the work and, because of the fact that the thread i is held by the clamp members 35, 38 from feeding forward and because the loop of thread extends beneath the looper 10 such movement will eect the drawing down of the end a of the thread a until said end a is below the work approximately as shown at the left hand of Fig. 6.

Such ultimate movement of the work holder 16 may occur only after all of the slack thread drawn out by the puller 25 is used and then the pin or projection 32 of Y rod 30 is struck by the work holder and is swung from the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5 to that shown in full lines therein, thus effecting the rotation of rod to bring the pin 31 thereof into registry with the groove of member 26 which groove permits the downward movement of said pin 31 with its rod 30 whereby the end 39 of clamp member 38 is released from the upward pressure of said rod 80 and may move downward to relieve the pressure on the thread fr which now is free to feed forward in the usual manner.

1n the stitching operation the end a of the thread will usually be drawn into the group of stitches.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A sewing machine comprising stitch forming means, work holder movably mounted, 'means for moving said work holder, a thread clamping means, mechanism for operating said work holder and thread clamping means approximately simultaneously to break the thread, a thread puller in operative connection with said operating mechanism, and releasing means for said thread clamping means.

2. A sewing machine comprising stitch forming means, a thread clamp, manually operated means forclosing said clamp, a work holder movably mounted, means actuated by the movement of the work holder for releasing said clamp, and a connection between the work holder and the clamp closing means, whereby said work holder and said clamp may be operated to break the thread.

3. A sewing machine comprising means for forming a group of stitches, means for holding the needle thread against movement, means for straining the thread while so held to break said thread, and means for effecting the lateral movement of the thread after the first downward movement of the needle subsequent to the breakage of the thread when the thread is so held.

11. A sewing machine comprising means for forming a group of stitches, means for breaking the thread, means for holding the thread at a considerable distance from the stitch forming devices against movement after breaking, and means acting to draw on the thread after the next downward movement of the needle, subsequent to such breaking, to draw down the needle end of said thread.

5. A sewing machine comprising a frame having a bed and a head, complemental stitch forming devices carried thereby, a work holder movably mounted on said bed, a shaft journaled in bearings on said head and connected with said work holder, a thread clamp mounted on said head, a vertically movable rod for closing said thread clamp, complemental means on said shaft and rod for eecting the closing movement on said rod and for holding` said rod, means on said rod adapted to be engaged and' moved by the work holder for releasing vsaid rod from said holding means, substantially as described.

G. A sewing machine comprising a head, stitch forming means including a needle bar operatively mounted in said head, a needle thread tension mounted on said head at a distance from said needle bar, a thread puller operating on the thread between said tension and said needle bar, a thread clamp located between said tension and said thread puller, and means for straining the thread when held by said clamp.

7. A sewing machine comprising stitch forming means, a thread tension, a button clamp, means for manually operating said but-ton clamp to strain the thread, means located at a distance above and independent of said button clamp to resist the movement of the thread whereby the resistance to the movement of the thread is such that the thread is broken by the lifting of the button clamp, and means operating independently of said button clamp for positively actuating said thread resisting means in one direction.

8. A sewing machine comprising stitch forming means, mechanism for actuating the stitch forming means, a pair 0f complemental thread breaking devices both located above the Work, a slide rod for operating one of said devices, means for positively operating said slide rod from said actuating mechanism, and means for manually operl0 ating the other of said devices.

ROBE-RT L. LYoNs.

Vitnesses M. F. MCKAY, HENRY J. MILLER.

Copies ot this patent may be obtained for fiveY cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. C. 

